HR Green has been selected by the Kendall County Highway Department to provide construction engineering services for the Ridge Road improvement project, a major corridor upgrade that will widen approximately 4.5 miles of County Highway 11.
Ridge Road has been part of Kendall County’s strategic planning goal to improve this regional north-south arterial roadway for nearly three decades. The corridor was identified in the WIKIDUKE SRA Study as far back as 1999, when regional agencies outlined the need to improve county arterial highways throughout Will, Kane, DuPage, and Kendall Counties.
By advancing the Ridge Road improvements, Kendall County, Illinois is continuing its commitment to the WIKIDUKE initiative and strengthening a key transportation link within the region.
The project is designed to increase roadway capacity, support long-term growth, enhance safety, and improve travel reliability along an important north-south route in Kendall County.
The Ridge Road project includes reconstruction of the corridor into a four-lane roadway with 12-foot travel lanes, an 18-foot raised median, curb and gutter improvements, storm sewer and culvert work, pavement markings, signing, traffic signal improvements, driveway reconstruction, and a shared-use path. The bridge portion of the project has already been completed, allowing the current phase to focus on roadway widening and corridor infrastructure needed to support future traffic demands.
As construction engineering consultant, HR Green will provide daily field oversight to help verify that work is built in accordance with the design intent, contract requirements, and applicable standards. Because the project includes federal funding, the team will also support strict documentation and reporting requirements for the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, including daily reporting, materials verification, and compliance with Buy America and other state and federal specifications. This level of oversight helps protect project quality, maintain accountability, and support smooth project delivery.
One of the most complex aspects of the project is utility coordination. In addition to typical utility conflicts with ComEd, AT&T, and Comcast, the corridor also includes eight high-pressure gas lines and bulk petroleum facilities that must be carefully coordinated and relocated to accommodate roadway widening. Proactive coordination with utility owners is critical to minimizing delays, reducing construction risk, and keeping the project moving efficiently through its multi-year schedule, which is expected to continue through the end of 2029.
For Kendall County, the project represents a significant long-term investment and initiative in improving the north-south corridor performance, safety, and long-term mobility. Once complete, the widened roadway is expected to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, enhance access for residents and businesses, and provide a safer, more reliable route for daily drivers.
